Head football coaches in the city of Pittsburgh are some of the most polarizing people in the area. There is hardly any middle ground opinions on Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi.
The Pitt News Sports Desk figured it’s appropriate to give a Point-Counterpoint on who should lead the Pitt football team in 2025.
Retain, don’t extend Narduzzi — Ari Meyer, Staff Writer
Pitt should not fire Narduzzi. While he certainly has his faults, the team has been mostly successful in his tenure. Narduzzi has the most successful coaching resume for Pitt since Johnny Majors, who led the team to their ninth National Championship win in 1976.
With a 72-56 record, Narduzzi is emblematic of the Panthers’ success throughout the last decade and is the epitome of above-average at the Power-Four level. His one ACC championship is the same amount as contemporaries James Franklin of Penn State and Steve Sarkisian of Texas have in the same time frame.
Narduzzi’s best skill is his ability to turn low-rated high school players into NFL-caliber athletes by the time they leave the program. Players such as Damar Hamlin, Jordan Whitehead and Jason Pinnock were not five-star athletes coming out of high school.
Narduzzi’s ability to have these players develop into stars and professionals cannot get left out when considering his tenure as a whole. While previous Pitt coaches have had similar success, such as Dave Wannstedt and Paul Chryst with Aaron Donald, it is not a given that whoever would replace Narduzzi could develop his players as well as Narduzzi.
But the most important factor is the buyout for Narduzzi. While the exact number is not known, it is likely cost-prohibitive for the team to cut their ties with him and still pay him. Whether or not you extend him is a completely different conversation, but a complete buyout of his remaining contract is likely a bad financial decision for the team and those invested in the program.
The expectation for the Panthers has consistently been an above-average football team just below the championship threshold. Fans argue that they can do better, but that would likely involve an NIL budget that the school simply does not have and will not have for a long time.
Narduzzi gives the team the best chance to go no lower than they are at this moment, and that is why Pitt should retain him for the next season at minimum.
It’s time for Pitt to move on from the Narduzzi era — Grace McNally, Staff Writer
Pitt, once again, had a less-than-stellar season.
The Panthers went from a seven-game win streak to losing six games in a row. The GameAbove Sports Bowl against Toledo looked like Pitt would win after leading 30-20 in the fourth quarter, and fans thought the Panthers could end the season on a high note. But poor coaching left Pitt defeated by Toledo in six overtimes, 48-46.
In a highly scrutinized moment, Pitt, at the one-yard line, decided to have senior tight end Gavin Bartholomew attempt a pass to redshirt first-year defensive end Isaiah Neal rather than simply running the ball.
Narduzzi then sent out redshirt senior kicker Ben Sauls to tie and extend the game to another overtime. Had Pitt opted to run the ball, it could have easily secured a victory.
The devastating loss took Narduzzi’s postseason record to 2-5, with his two wins coming over MAC school Eastern Michigan and the other against a more respectable UCLA team.
Many have said this season is an improvement from Pitt’s 3-9 record in 2023. But finishing out the season with six losses is Narduzzi’s longest losing streak.
Beyond coaching, Narduzzi has had some bad moments with the media. Pitt fans will remember his infamous “boo city” comments from the 2023 season while facing backlash about him starting former Pitt quarterback Phil Jurkovec.
And after the 2024 Backyard Brawl, Narduzzi attacked officials with his comments after the game.
“Some of the calls we got. Late hit out of bounds. They catch a ball with their hands to the face. I ain’t never seen anything like it,” Narduzzi said to an ESPN reporter.
It is incredibly hard to root for a coach who cannot respect the officials’ calls, especially after an exciting win in the Backyard Brawl.
So, is it time to move on from Pat Narduzzi?
A lot of Pitt fans would say, yes, but it is highly unlikely Narduzzi will get fired. Following his ACC Championship win in 2022, Narduzzi signed an extension with the Panthers through 2030, making it very difficult for Pitt to cut ties with him.
Narduzzi more than likely will return to the Panthers sideline in 2025, but if Pitt wants to compete with the best of the best, he should throw in the towel.